What does twittering mean?
Twittering is a literary verb and adjective describing a continuous succession of rapid, high-pitched, often birdlike sounds. It is especially associated with the calls of small birds, as in a “twittering flock” of swallows, but it can also describe people speaking rapidly, nervously, or with excited agitation. The word has a gently traditional, poetic tone and is less common in everyday contemporary speech than words such as chirping, chattering, or tweeting. Its older sense of making a light, trembling, or agitated sound connects it with a wider body of English imitative words for small noises. Although “twittering” may be mistaken for “tweeting,” the two belong to different usage histories: one refers primarily to vocal sound, while the other refers to social-media activity. In descriptive writing, “twittering” remains especially effective for evoking the lively, restless sound of a flock of birds.
To make a succession of rapid, high-pitched, birdlike sounds; to speak rapidly or nervously.
"The wrens twittered and darted among the roses."
The sense describing birds is now the most familiar; the sense describing excited or nervous human speech is older and chiefly literary.
Characterized by a succession of rapid, high-pitched, trembling, or birdlike sounds.
"A twittering chorus of swallows filled the evening air."
Common in literary descriptions of birds and occasionally of animated groups of people.
Before social media gave us “tweeting,” birds had been doing it for centuries.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of twittering
Twittering is formed from the English verb twitter and preserves its older sense of making a rapid, light, or trembling sound. The verb developed from Middle English twiten, meaning “to utter with a trembling voice,” and belongs to an English tradition of imitative words for small vocal noises, paralleled by forms such as titter and tattle. Its established use for the calls of birds accounts for much of its modern literary appeal.
Related word forms
How twittering is actually used
The word is somewhat literary, poetic, or old-fashioned in ordinary speech. It is now most natural in descriptions of birds and their calls, although older usage also applies to animated human conversation. It is not normally used for posting messages on social media.
Easily confused with twittering
Twittering describes the making of rapid, high-pitched or trembling sounds, especially by birds, whereas tweeting means posting short messages on a social-media platform.